It is completely natural for new moms to be nervous, yet hopeful when having their first baby. (I certainly was!) The thought of having more than one child may seem insanely difficult to a first time mom, but for myself, having a baby was easier the 3rd time around.
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5 Ways Having a Baby is Easier the 3rd Time Around
(and one big way it is harder)
1) I had experience giving birth. - My first baby had a fast and natural birth. My second baby was a breech birth via c-section. No matter which way things went with baby number three, I had already walked through both options. No two births are ever the … [Read more...]

Grief is an extremely intimate thing. Usually, we aren't given a choice when it comes to inviting people into our circle of grief. When a person dies, we can't hide it. However, we can limit how many people know about a miscarriage. So then the question becomes: what are the pros and cons of telling people about a miscarriage?
First of all, I want to be clear that I don't think anyone should grieve in complete silence. A miscarriage isn't something anyone should feel like they need to hide. I highly encourage you to tell at least one person besides your doctor.
Secondly, there is not a right or wrong way to grieve. Some people will … [Read more...]

Our newest little bundle of joy was born on January 25th, but Isaac's birth story starts way before that.
Low Fluid
When Grace was born in 2009, I was induced because the amniotic fluid level was dangerously low. Her birth ended up being a natural and fast delivery. When Noah was born in 2012, we checked for low amniotic fluid a little early since Grace's fluid level was so low. Noah ended up being born a few days earlier than his scheduled c-section (he was breech) because he also had low amniotic fluid.
Since I had a history of low amniotic fluid with both of my previous babies, we started monitoring Isaac's fluid levels at 36 weeks. … [Read more...]

It is a boy!!
Our tie-breaker baby was born on Wednesday, January 25th. Baby Isaac weighed 7 lb exactly and was 20.5″ long. Isaac born one week after his due date, and he was completely worth the wait!
I had been hoping for a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean), but that didn't work out for us. I was really disappointed when I had to have a c-section with Noah, but this time around I am at peace with it.
I had been praying that my labor would start spontaneously on its own. I had been praying for a natural delivery. I had been praying for a birth free from complications and interventions. None of those things happened, but God had … [Read more...]

Today is my due date. Yep. And I'm still pregnant.
How I've been feeling:
Big. Huge. Gigantic. - I'm pretty much at the beached whale stage over here.
Heartburn - I never quite know how well I am going to sleep each night. Some nights leave me exhausted with heartburn, and then the next night I will be fine.
Abdominal Pain - Before Christmas I was having a lot of sharp pains just above my belly button. I was confused by the pain because it didn't feel like braxton hicks contractions. My midwife confirmed that the pain wasn't practice contractions. Instead, I was feeling my abdominal muscles tearing apart. Ouch! I wore a support band … [Read more...]

I am 30 weeks pregnant with baby Hoffer #3. By this time, it feels like it was almost years ago when Nate and I told our kids that we are having another baby. Yet, I wanted to share this precious moment with you. (I am 24 weeks along in the photo above.)
It was important to me that we told Grace (6) and Noah (4) that I was pregnant in a very simple and straightforward way. I didn't want to do anything cutesy that could confuse their little heads about what I was really trying to tell them.
Click below to watch the video, and then keep reading for more pregnancy highlights.
Did you notice when Noah looked at my stomach right after we … [Read more...]